


Boulders on My Shoulders

by Dekomaru



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Protective Grant Ward, Rogue Grant Ward
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-06-20 09:29:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15531285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dekomaru/pseuds/Dekomaru
Summary: Kara wouldn't let him blame one person, after all, Bobbi wouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Hydra was the reason the two of them had suffered so much and for so long, and it was time it burnt to the ground.





	1. Collar Bones Begin to Crack

**Author's Note:**

> Ward and Kara still aren't good people, but now they're not good with a less morally questionable goal :)
> 
> Picks up during 2x18 and diverges from there

Kara stood up as soon as he walked through the door, dropping the strand of hair she had been fidgeting with. Mike Peterson pushed her back down, as he stood up, glaring at Grant. Grant ignored him turning to her.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked, anger seeping into his voice, brows furrowing. Grant was cute when he got protective, cute but stupid. The damn idiot would charge into a Hydra base all alone if it meant protecting her.

"No, I'm ok. You shouldn't have come," she said back, face contorted with concern.

"Fact that this guy hasn't killed me yet means they need me," Grant reassures her, narrowing his eyes before schooling his expressions and facing her captor,

"Mike."

"Ward." He acknowledges before icily ordering, "Turn around." Grant scowled, turning around as instructed albeit not without exasperation. He didn't want to be here, dealing with Coulson and his groupies was pretty low on the list of things he wanted to do. Things were finally starting to fall into place for him and Kara and they finally had a decent lead.

"You know what needs to happen.," Mike continued presumably after scanning Grant. Grant scowled once more before reaching behind him and pulling his gun out of his waistband. He placed the gun on the table and reached for his spare and his knife he kept in his boots, and finally his garrotte from his back pocket. He flashed Mike a tight grin and held out his hands in a placating gesture. 

"All of it," Mike snapped and Grant rolled his eyes. He glanced over at Kara, she dropped her gaze, instead focusing on where he hid a tiny metal file in the cuff of his jacket. Grant reached for it and threw it on the table with the rest of his weapons, tight grin and narrow eyes still clear on his face. He didn't want to be here. He and Kara had other much more important things to "take care of" other than this shitshow.

Mike gestured for Grant to carry on and walk into the back of the restaurant. He flashed one last reassuring glance at Kara before continuing towards Coulson. He schooled his features into contempt with a side of light amusement as he sat down across from the Director of SHIELD, throwing his arm over the back of the seat. Sighing, he settled in the seat and gave Coulson an easy grin.

"Ward," Coulson greeted him. 

"I'm flattered bringing the robot along just for a sit down with me," Grant replied wryly, cocking his head a tad. While he may not want to be mixed up in it, he certainly was curious about what Coulson was up to.

"There's no need for false modesty," Coulson replied with the same even tone as Grant, "we both know you're that good." Coulson paused for a moment, bringing his hands up onto the table, rubbing his thumbs against each other.

"But frankly," he continued, "this isn't about you. We're after bigger fish-- Strucker, List." Grant's face darkened for a moment at the insinuation that he was still Hydra, but the gears were turning. This could work, he could spin this in his favor. He and Kara could get Coulson to do some of their dirty work by "teaming up"  with them and bailing once he and Kara met their objective. 

He was staring downward at Coulson's fidgeting hands. He licked his lips slightly, letting out a soft huff, before leaning forward and taking his arm off the back of the chair. 

"It's funny you should say that," Grant responded, "I'm after the same fish. Just started getting somewhere when you so rudely interrupted" He made a vague gesture referring to the restaurant, Mike, Kara, and Coulson.

"I'm surprised," Coulson quipped snarkily back, "Doing something not entirely psychotic or morally dubious for once? 

Grant merely narrowed his eyes at the comment.

"You coming here and threatening Kara, tells me you're grasping at straws. I, however, am not," Grant pointed out calmly.

"The only way you leave is through me," Coulson threatened, "besides why should I trust that you're really trying to bring down Hydra. You were buddy-buddy with them not two months ago."

"You shouldn't trust me. Don't trust anybody ever, especially me," Grant shot back quickly, a smirk sliding up his face.

"You're not helping your case," Coulson practically grumbled.

"The last time I suggested we work together you called me a deluded son of a bitch," Grant replied, leaning back once more in his seat. He scowled slightly recalling the memory of the Vault.

"Things change," Coulson answered sharply.

"Do they now," Ward huffed incredulously.

"Listen Ward I'm offering you a deal-"

"I don't want your deal, Coulson. I want to bring down Hydra, and whether we decided to help each other or not, I won't rest until every last head is cut off." Ward's eyes narrowed as he made his proclamation, and for the first time since sitting down with Coulson, he looked serious, determination plastered across his face. 

"Why the sudden conviction to kill your former playmates? Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Coulson said almost mockingly.

"Kara," Ward replied, with the same tone as before. Coulson opened his mouth to speak, then faltered as though he had changed his mind.

"If you help me, I'll let you walk away free and clear," Coulson finally decided on, continuing, "No more looking over your shoulder." Grant narrowed his eyes once more, crossing his arms.

"When someone says something too good to be true, its a lie. You want my help but not that much," Grant responded skeptically.

"I'm not lying, tried the stick didn't work, so now I'm trying the carrot" Coulson asserted, "Get me in. Tell me what you know. After that, I put you through TAHITI Proto-"

"No." Ward cut in firmly, "Wipe my memories? Sounds like a threat, not a carrot. I like who I am" Grant cocked his head to the side at his final declaration.

"A murderer and a traitor?" Coulson retorted. Grant ignored the comment.

"Maybe there's still good left in you and TAHITI? Maybe without Garrett and your family, maybe somewhere deep down inside you're not a bad person." Grant let out a mirthless laugh and leaned forward towards Coulson as though he was telling a secret. 

"The moment you decided to hand back over to my abusive brother was the moment I stopped caring what any of you thought of me. I tried to be the good guy, I told you everything you wanted to know about Hydra, but I don't care if I'm a "good man" in your eyes, the only person who matters believes am I. To that point, I'm going to help you because it furthers my own agenda, not because you're threatening me or its the right thing to do. Kara hasn't done anything and I highly doubt you're in the business of killing innocent ex-SHIELD Agents," Ward said slowly in a grim low tone. 

"Alright, Ward what do you know?" Coulson replied sharply. A smirk spread across Grant's face and some of the amused contempt returned to his face.

"I' sure you remember Sunhil Bakshi..."


	2. There is very little left of me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favorite murder duo returns to SHIELD

"Something's not right," Grant drawled after the car pulled in and Mike stepped out. He quickly scanned the rest of the lot.

"Why isn't May here? There's something Coulson's not saying," he said to Kara, thinking out loud. Kara frowned, she hated this whole situation. She understood why Grant wanted to work with SHIELD, but she didn't trust them. They had turned on her before when she was an agent, what were the odds of them turning on ex-Hydra. 

"Which is why we should make a run for it," she proposes. She reaches over, grasping Grant's hand.

"The idea of them wiping away who you are--," Kara trails off lost in her own thoughts of her days under Whitehall's thumb, the memory of it still a raw wound. Grant gripped her hand tighter running his thumb over the back of her hand soothingly. 

"Hey, no one's gonna wipe anything," Grant reassured her. She turned towards him, looking him in the eye, and the gentle comfort helped the panic and worry die down. Grant's eyes darted across her face, looking for signs of concern before he continued, 

"We have the upper hand," He asserted, glancing quickly out at Coulson and Mike, "Whatever Coulson's endgame is doesn't matter, because he is gonna help us get to ours." Kara nodded softly, she could see how the pieces fit together, she was just wary. She sighed softly. Her eye caught something in the front passenger seat. Kara softly pulled her hand from Grant, reaching over the seat to grab the potted succulent.

"Whats this?" Kara asked. Grant smiled a bit, he had forgotten it was still in the car, he had just quicked it up when Coulson had called him.

"Thought we could put that on the windowsill," Grant replied. Kara held the plant up, spinning it around for a moment.

"It's beautiful," she said more to herself then Grant, "It's too bad I liked our house."

"It won't be our last--promise," Grant declared, as he grasped Kara's hand again, squeezing softly.

"At the end of this, we'll be home," he continued, reaching up to brush a strand of her hair back from her forehead, letting his hand fall once he was done.

"And we'll be together," he finished. Kara gave a small nod, the domestic image in her head. Her and Grant together, maybe they'd have a cat or maybe dog, perhaps both. 

Grant reached up again, cupping the back of her neck gently, pulling her in. Kara finished the distance between them pushing her lips against his. She grabbed the back of Grant's head, dragging her hand through his hair to the nape of his neck. Kara wished things could be like this forever, just the two of them at peace.

A loud bang on the car window.

"Break it up," Mike said harshly, "Let's go." Grant leaned back away from Kara clearly annoyed at the interruption. The soft, gentle, caring look gone from his face instead replaced but the dispassionate front he put up around everyone but her. She was the only one to see that side of him.

Grant was practically dragged out of the car by Mike, getting the message, Kara stepped out on her own, joining Grant, Mike, and Coulson by the trunk.

Grant watched Coulson open the trunk, before dropping his gaze down to Bakshi. Kara's face twisted with disgust at the sight of the man who had brainwashed and tortured her.

"This just gets better and better," Coulson remarked, almost disbelievingly. Bakshi tried to roll over, looking for Grant and Kara, fear plastered on his face. Kara smiled at the sight.

"Not to worry. We're working with Director Coulson," Grant informed Bakshi, easing the man's fears. Bakshi turned to face Coulson.

"You're gonna do whatever he says--understand?" Grant ordered, tacking on the vague threat at the end.

"Of course, I'm more than happy to comply," Bakshi replied hurriedly. 

* * *

Kara was starting to resent the idea of helping SHIELD more and more. Her doubts were beginning to surface once more after she had watched Fitz hold his hand on his gun for nearly 20 minutes whilst his leg bounced agitatedly in front of him. Grant's large sharklike grin when he saw Fitz probably didn't help, nor the fact he had been working him ever since showing up. Grant liked to get a rise out of people, he could always push just the right buttons. Kara figured he picked it up from Christian or Garrett somewhere along the way. She wished he won't do it, now while they were in the belly of the beast.

She glanced over at him. Grant's hands were folded together, dropping between his knees. He was thinking, planning, she could practically hear the gears turning in his mind. His eyes shifted, cutting across the cabin of the Quinjet to Fitz, eyeing his nervous behavior. Grant scanned the rest of the cabin before looking at Kara. She shook her head softly, and he huffed.

"Bakshi reached out, arranged a meeting with Dr. List," Coulson informed Hunter and Fitz. Bakshi had called List earlier before they had been picked up by the Quinjet.

"And are we sure we trust Stepford Bakshi?" Hunter asked Coulson cynically, before looking across the cabin to the motley crew of ex-Hydra Agents.

"Trust might be a little strong," Coulson replied sharply, glaring at Grant. Kara tensed for a moment, watching Fitz continue to fidget, but when Grant replied she relaxed.

"Bakshi's been instructed to act exactly as he would have," he said surprisingly calm and placating, no hint of leering attitude he displayed since getting on the Quinjet. He cast a sidelong glare at Bakshi, a vague threat towards the Brit, who was sitting perfectly still and hadn't said a word the whole flight. "Before," Grant tacked on, gesturing with his hands.

"Before the brainwashing." Hunter cut indignantly. Kara's eyes narrowed. She regretted having to work with SHIELD more and more every time one of them opened their mouths. They hadn't blinked an eye when she had been brainwashed, let alone raised a finger to help, and now that justice had been served and Bakshi had reaped what he had sowed, suddenly it was a heinous crime."Oh, well, in that case, I feel comforted," Hunter continued sarcastically. 

"Any questions?" Coulson asked. 

"How much longer?" Kara quipped back almost immediately. She caught Hunter attempting to calm Fitz out of the corner of her eye when Deathlok announced a couple hours left. Grant took that as his cue. He looked over at Kara before he began slowly,

"So, Fitz, " He drawled, pausing waiting for Fitz and Hunter to look over at him. Kara rolled her eyes. It was a power moved and she wished he would stop. "How you been?" he finished with a half smile on his face, somewhere between genuine and leering. Fitz looked down at the ground and to his credit almost didn't react. Grant had told Kara about what happened, how he dropped Fitz and Simmons into the ocean and Fitz's resulting brain damage.

Fitz sprang up and tried to rush Grant. Coulson and Hunter followed right after, pulling him back and stopping him from reaching Grant. Grant didn't even flinch as Fitz came towards him and Kara scowled at him.

"Hey! Hey, hey hey! Hey, hey, hey!" Hunter called out as he struggled with Coulson to pull Fitz away.

"Sit down, Agent Fitz," Coulson ordered. Fitz merely walked away from him before coming back and pointing accusingly at Bakshi.

"Bakshi, sir," He starts frantically trying to find his words, "Bakshi-- No, he is-- He is-- He's the exact same as Ward" Kara snapped to attention, turning to glare up at Fitz, starting to stand. Grant reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked back at him, and the soft concerned look on his face was enough to get her to sit back down. He let go of her arm, shaking his head; he didn't want her to defend him. She hated it.

"So he will double-cross us the second that he's with Hydra," Fitz argued desperation filling his voice as he spoke. Grant looked away from Kara, his eyes finding a spot on the wall to settle on. Kara's brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed. This time it was her turn to comfort him, reaching out and placing her hand softly on his forearm, getting him to look back over at her.

"Yes, he would-- if he was going in alone," Coulson agreed. The three SHIELD agents all turned to look at Grant in the back of the Quinjet.

"He's not?" Grant asked as he looked up Coulson.

"He'll have his bodyguard with him," Coulson elaborated. 

"That'd be me," Deathlok called from the front. 

"We'll monitor the entire meet through Mike's eye," Coulson added. Coulson's plan seemed to calm Fitz down and pleading desperate look vanished from his face. 

"Dr. List's instructions were explicit-- Bakshi was to come alone," Grant said civilly, but Kara could see the annoyance lurking underneath. Grant wasn't going to let SHIELD interfere with them reaching their end game because SHIELD had too many trust issues.

"Luckily, Bakshi's good at talking his way out of things," Coulson retorted. He turned to Bakshi before prompting, "Aren't you?" 

"I've been told its one of my more useful skill sets, yes," Bakshi affirmed. Grant rolled his eyes but leaned back into his chair.

"See? No problem," Coulson said with a smirk. Grant glared over at Bakshi trying to figure out the plan of action, how Bakshi would swing this and none of the options were likely to please SHIELD. 


	3. And Its Never Coming Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> owo whats this??? Ward has moved on from Skye???

"We are online," Fitz announced, drawing out his words as he typed the last commands into the computer. A view of the inside of the plane through Mike's perspective appeared on the screen. It was lavishly decorated in tans and whites, with plush leather chairs in the center. Dr.List was sitting at one, awaiting Bakshi.

"Its good to see you alive and well Mr. Bakshi," List said as he appeared on screen, stepping forward to greet Bakshi. Bakshi stuck out his hand to shake with List, who accepted before the two moved towards the seats centered in the middle of the cabin.

"Dr.List, a pleasure. You're a difficult man to find these days," Bakshi replied as the two walked to their seats.

"Please," Dr. List gestured toward the chairs.

"Three men, heavily armed-- Bet there's more where they came from," Hunter noted as Mike scanned the room. Grant shook his head, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"Does it matter? You got a cyborg on board with rockets in his arm," he remarked slyly. So far so good, it seemed, Grant mused. Bakshi had yet to set off any red flags about the plan.

"He's not a cyborg-- He's a SHIELD Agent," Coulson interjected, before conceding, "with rockets in his arm." Grant rolled his eyes, glancing at Kara, who seemed to be watching intensely, her brows knitted and her mouth turned down into a scowl, and turned his focus back to Mike's eye feed. Dr.List's face was twisted in some semblance of concern, though who it was for remained a mystery to Grant.

"Our world is much more complicated now after the tragic death of Dr. Whitehall and the ensuing bloodbath that it caused," Dr. List started, pausing to accept his drink with a brief "Thank you" before sipping from it almost daintily and continuing, "Tell me, Mr. Bakshi, exactly how did you manage to escape unscathed?"

"What are you implying, Doctor?" Bakshi replied without batting an eye. Dr. List's entire demeanor changed and he opted to be more direct and assertive.

"Well, most of Hydra's leaders were wiped out in one fell swoop, but not you. I was just curious if you might know anyone involved," Dr. List pressed, toying with the drink in his hands.

"Let's see how Bakshi holds up under questioning," Coulson remarked skeptically, as List began digging for answers. Grant opened his mouth for a snide retort when Kara cut in.

"He's held up to worse than this," Kara said sharply. Grant felt his lip twitch up into a smile, the image of Bakshi sniveling after they first "freed" him from the government came to mind.

"You think I poisoned the Baroness? Killed Bloom?" Bakshi retorted, maintaining his calm confidence.

"Someone put a bullet in his head," Dr. List practically snarled.

"I assumed it was you or Strucker. You had the most to gain, and look--here you sit, alive and well, with more money and manpower than ever," Bakshi reasoned. Dr. List seemed vaguely offended at the notion he had Bloom and the Baroness killed, but nevertheless, he seemed to relax a little.

"See? Told you he was good," Grant teased, slapping Coulson on the back. Coulson flinched slightly and turned to face Grant with narrowed eyes and a tight grin. Grant simply gave a smug smile in return.

"The truth is, I didn't escape unscathed. I was captured by the US Government. Mr. Peterson helped me escape. You do recognize him, don't you? Well, you should. Hydra invested quite a bit of funds turning Mr. Peterson into the perfect killing machine--money well-spent I might add," Bakshi elaborated, gesturing and glancing at Mike at the appropriate times. Grant shifted his weight, this is where things would start to get dicey.

"What's he doing?" Coulson demanded, turning towards Grant.

"He's gaining List's trust," Grant explained placatingly. He stepped forward slightly, eyeing Fitz's gun. Coulson had confiscated his gun, but Fitz was a rookie with firearms and it wouldn't be hard to steal his. Grant eyed Kara, she clearly had the same sort of idea. He watched as snuck her hand closer to where he knew her knife was hidden. He wanted to believe it was because she saw his own moment forward, but she had been on edge ever since they had teamed up with SHIELD. The instant they got a moment alone, he was going to check up with her and make sure she was still good. After all, bailing on SHIELD and leaving them to the wolves would be a reward in and of itself. Grant was doing this for Kara and he wasn't going to push her into something she was uncomfortable doing it she didn't want to.

"I know Strucker has been experimenting on powered individuals. I believe that with a compliance upgrade, Mr. Peterson would prove quite useful to him," Bakshi proposed. Grant shifted his weight, things were about to get dicey. He eyed Fitz's gun again.

"You're offering him....to me?" Dr.List asked almost incredulously, leaning forward a bit.

"Consider it a sign of good faith," Bakshi replied taking a sip of his drink with a smirk.

"This wasn't the plan. What are you doing?" Coulson hissed at Bakshi's revelation, turning to face Grant. Kara watched with a stony expression from the other side of Fitz.

"Getting us to Strucker," Grant explained, trying to get Coulson to calm down, and it almost worked, until Hunter called out, 

"Bastard sold us out!" Grant's calm facade dropped as he went for Fitz's gun, grabbing it and stepping back to point it at Coulson. Coulson and Hunter in turn both grabbed their own guns, pointing them at Grant. Kara, on the other hand, had drawn her knife and was holding it to Fitz's neck

"Put the gun down now," Coulson demanded.

"It was the only way" Grant explained hurriedly and aggressively. He knew Coulson wasn't going to like his plan, that's why he hadn't told him. 

"Now. I'm not gonna warn you again," Coulson ordered once again more strongly, waving his gun. Grant stood his ground.

"Will you just listen to me, Coulson," Grant practically snarled, "Do you want to get to Strucker or not?"

"Fitz are you alright?" Hunter cut in. Coulson quickly glanced over at Fitz. In his attempt to draw his weapon and make Grant put down Fitz's he hadn't noticed Kara draw her knife.

"Yeah, I'm delightful," Fitz strained. Kara pushed her knife harder into his neck and in return, he pulled harder at the arm across his throat.

"Strucker wants powered people. Bakshi alone doesn't get you to him," grant continued to explain, "That's why you wanted me right? Because I know how Hydra works? Well, this is it, offering Deathlok to List is the only way we get to Strucker. He can take care of himself--trust me."

"Trust me?" Coulson repeated disbelievingly, "I ought to shoot you for saying that."

"Shoot me and your whole operation goes up in smoke. Bakshi only takes orders if both Kara and I are there," Grant retorted.

"You're bluffing."

"Am I?"

"Um, sir," Fitz said meekly as the computer screen began to beep.

"What if this goes south?" Grant cocked his head as he posed the question, his voice rising, "Would you have been willing to sacrifice Mike for Skye or May or whoever it is we're trying to rescue from Strucker?" He hit a nerve. Coulson clenched his jaw.

"That wasn't your call to make," Coulson gritted out. 

"Sir, Deathlok is, um," Fitz repeated a bit louder this time. Coulson remained locked in his feud with Grant, but he at least got Hunter's attention.

"Is that Deathlok's targeting system?" Hunter asked a tad frantically, noticing what was going on on the screen. 

"Yes, He's gonna--He's--well, he--He's about to kill everyone," Fitz announced. Kara looked to Grant, letting Deathlok kill everyone was a pretty decent outcome, but Grant had more long-term plans, and they needed Bakshi for those.

"Not a bad idea, actually," Hunter chimed in. Kara scowled.

"No, we need them alive. Fitz, tell Mike to stand down," Coulson ordered quickly.

"Yeah, no, that's not gonna happen," Fitz shot back as he continued to struggle against Kara's hold. Grant nodded to her. Kara leaned forward slightly so that she was right above his ear.

"Tell him to stand down and play along or I slit your throat and do it myself," Kara threatened lowly so that only the two of them could hear it. Fitz went as pale as a sheet.

"Let him go, 33," Coulson demanded with turning to face her. Kara stood back up, loosening her grip slightly, letting Fitz breathe better, but keeping the knife poised on his jugular.

"My name is Kara and I don't work for you anymore," She declared proudly. Grant couldn't help the large smile that slid up his face momentarily before it dropped back into a frown as he resumed his Mexican Standoff with Coulson.

"Weapon systems are hot," Fitz announced as he attempted to tell Deathlok to stand down despite the knife to his throat.

"On the count of three, we all put our weapons down," Grant suggested exasperated.

"Three!" Coulson called out immediately. Grant dropped his gun, holding it out for Coulson to take it. Kara stepped away from Fitz as he finished typing in the command to Deathlok. Coulson stepped forward towards Grant.

"You pull anything like that again, I'll throw your ass off this Quinjet at 20,00 feet," Coulson asserted.

"I wasn't bluffing," Grant said with a smug grin, "You kill me or Kara, Bakshi won't take orders from anyone anymore and your whole operation goes up in smoke, so next time you threaten me think about if killing me is worth more than Mike's life." Coulson's fists clenched at the mention of the other SHIELD Agent. Grant paid no mind and simply walked away, nodding his head and gesturing for Kara to join him in the cockpit. 

Coulson and Hunter gathered behind Fitz, while the ex-Hydra Agents took their seats, Grant in pilot and Kara in co-pilot.

"Well, that could've gone better," Grant mumbled softly to Kara. She huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Doctor, there's been another incident," said one of Dr.List's aides.

"Excuse me" "We're close. Put us in the air. then we'll see how loyal you and your enhanced friend really are."

"They're taking off" Fitz observed.

"If Strucker's overseas, I'd say that's probably where they're going," Grant called from the cockpit as he began to start up the Quinjet.

"Then we tail them," Coulson replied.

* * *

"Of course, it's about Skye," Grant muttered bitterly, after hearing Fitz from the back of the Quinjet, "after all when isn't it?" His grip on the flight controls tightened but he made no other outward signs of displeasure. Kara, on the other hand, was seething. It was the small displays of anger that always stood out the most to him. The way her eyebrows were furrowed in the middle, the impatient and indignant tap of her foot.

They had been flying for a while, tailing List's plane and they were finally about to land after List detected another instance of a teleporter. Apparently it was related to Skye somehow. 

"Hey, are you good?" Grant asked quietly, the SHIELD agents were just out of earshot. Kara frowned, looking down at the ground.

"What's wrong?" Grant pressed his face softening, drenched in concern, and turning away from piloting for a moment. Kara opened her mouth, trying to find her words, then closed it.

"How much longer do we have to work with them," She finally said. Grant huffed.

"Don't worry about them, they don't matter,"

"its like they've completely forgotten what happened to me, the brainwashing," she started slowly, but as she talked it began to speed up into a hurried whisper"Grant, do you think they ever would have helped me? Saved me from Whitehall? If they came across me while I was still under his thumb do you think they would've killed me? Or given me a chance like Coulson gives Skye?"

"I don't know," Grant conceded, "but that doesn't matter now. They're just a tool to us. Don't let them get to you"

"Why do you keep agitating them, then?" Kara asked in response.

"To keep their focus on me and away from you," Grant stopped speaking for a moment and pursed his lips, thinking, before continuing, "Kara, if you're really this broken up about SHIELD, we can just bail. we could leave right now, the cyborg isn't here, I've got a ---bag not too far from here, and we'll completely screw them over if we leave now. That would be a reward in itself, but I really believe this is our best bet at getting a shot at List and making Hydra pay for what they did to you"

"You're right, I'm just--" Kara paused, frowning as she tried to find the right words, "I'm just apprehensive about SHIELD and helping save the woman who shot you in back four times."

"Don't worry about them, they'll get what's coming to me in one way or another," Grant mused in response. He reached his hand over to grab Kara's, squeezing reassuringly, "I just want you to be happy, if you want to bail, we bail." Kara nodded her head.

"We stay," she agreed. Grant smiled softly and let go of her hand, turning back to flying the Quinjet. He glanced at their location on the dashboard.

"Coulson! We're 10 minutes out!" Grant called over his shoulder. Standing up, he swung the pilot's seat sideways and walked into the main cabin.

"So, what's the plan once we get there?" Grant asked.


End file.
